AN anti-euthanasia group yesterday warned that a court decision to allow a paralysed woman to end her life by refusing treatment should not be regarded as a "right-to-die" case.

Chairman of the Medical Ethics Alliance, Dr Anthony Cole, said the woman, referred to as Miss B, had set out to establish her right to refuse medical treatment that has kept her alive for a year, and "not a right-todie. The judge has upheld the right to refuse treatment," said Dr Cole.

Voluntary Euthanasia Society director Deborah Annetts said, "This case has confirmed that patient choice must be at the centre of all treatment decisions. We hope in future no one will have to go to court to have their well-established rights enforced." Dr Cole, a paediatrician, added, "We hope that any steps now taken will not have to be taken by the medical team who have known her and treated her for so long."

General secretary of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children said "We are profoundly concerned because the legal issues raised by this case weren't properly aired in the legal hearings. On the face of it, the decision could radically change the doctor-patient relationship," they said.

Andy Berry of anti-euthanasia group Alert said, "I am surprised and appalled that the health authority are not going to appeal against this decision. I'm very concerned about the implications for all disabled people.

"I'm sure Miss B could enjoy life with appropriate support had she chosen rehabilitation," he said.

Dr Michael Wilks, chairman of the British Medical Association's Ethics Committee, said, "The court ruling reinforces well-established legal and ethical guidelines that every competent adult has the right to refuse medical treatment, even when this may lead to their death."